Can't Sleep
by Lover of the Geek
Summary: Parker can't sleep. Will a late night trip to her favorite hacker's house cure her insomnia?


**So this is my first attempt at fan fiction and I'm a bit nervous of how it's received so please be kind! This is a one shot that takes place some months after season 3 episode 5 "The Double Blind Job". I love Hardison/Parker sooo much and I wish there were more stories with them.**

**Disclaimer: Hardison is one of the sexiest geeks ever and although I wish I owned him, sadly I do not. I do not own Leverage in any capacity. :(**

He turned over in bed and was hit with the icy wind flowing in from an open window. Stubbornly trying to stay in his content slumber, his first reaction was to pull the covers up higher until they nestled right under his chin. His being half asleep couldn't allow him to think properly and question why there was a draft from the window in the first place. He just knew it was cold. Slowly he opened his eyes allowing them to gain focus in the dimly lit room; the moonlight being the only source of illumination.

His eyebrows furrowed as he considered the odd occurrence of his window being open as it was below thirty degrees outside. He got up and closed the window and when he turned around he nearly had a heart attack.

"Parker! What are you...how did you...woman! You scared me half to death!" he said in a voice entirely too high for his liking. Parker had been right behind him as he closed the window and her ninja like stealth was not appreciated in the least by Hardison, at the moment.

"You really should make sure your windows are secure before going to bed" she said nonchalantly as she walked to his bed and sat down crossing her legs under her.

He was about to retort back with something witty but instead took the moment to look her over. She was dressed in a leather jacket, charcoal grey t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and her favorite black converse. Nothing out of the ordinary there but then he looked at her face. She looked tired; really, really tired. Hardison could understand that, it _was _3am in the morning. However, it seemed like there was more behind that tired look. He suddenly realized he was staring and that she was looking back at him with the same intensity. He averted his gaze to a suddenly interesting area of the floor.

"Uhh, what are you doing in here, girl?" he asked as he looked at her again while coming over to sit next to her. He immediately noticed her proximity and could feel the gentle vibration of her shivering.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came to see what you were doing. I thought you'd be playing one of your gnome games or something. I didn't realize you'd be sleeping" she answered.

"They aren't gnomes, Parker. They're..." he couldn't finish his sentence as he was silenced by the sudden pressure of her lips on his. As quick as it had started it was over and she hopped up off the bed and walked into the hallway towards his kitchen.

"Do you have any cereal?" her voice floated back to him from down the hall. Still reeling from the impromptu kiss she had randomly given him he couldn't articulate a response back before he heard her yell from the kitchen "Found it!" He was confused to what had just happened and treaded into the kitchen to acquire an explanation.

When he got to the kitchen, Parker was pouring cereal into a bowl and then retrieving milk from the fridge. She went to the drawer on the left of the dishwasher and grabbed a spoon before grabbing the bowl and going into the living room and turning on the TV.

Hardison was even more confused now. She had only been to his apartment once and had only spent a whopping total of five minutes inside if he could remember correctly. They had been in the middle of a job and he had to retrieve his back up laptop in a hurry. How did she know where the spoons and bowls were? How had she gotten in?! He knew he remembered setting his alarm before going off to bed.

He followed her into the living room and sat on the couch next to her. He noticed how at home she looked. She had toed out of her converse and taken off her jacket. She grabbed the throw from the back of the couch and wrapped her lower half in it.

"Parker, how'd you get in here? I know I set the alarm and how did you know where the spoons and dishes were?" he asked her before he realized he already knew the answer.

She turned to look at him with a sly smile that she usually reserved for triumph over opening a particularly complicated safe or lock. He knew that smile. Just like he knew that she probably wasn't going to tell him the details of her breaking into his apartment. He was surprised by her answer. "I've broken in here plenty of times; your codes are a bit too easy, Hardison. I scaled the building this time though, the sensor connected to the window I came in is faulty" she said with a shrug as she turned her attention back to the TV.

She smiled at the sound of his deep laugh.

He just chuckled to himself as he shook his head. He was too tired to argue but he knew that his system was anything but faulty. He made a mental note to change his codes again and check the sensors but knew that she'd find a way around them as well. He decided to ask her the question she left him with in his bedroom a few moments before. "So, uhh, back there in my room, you kissed me...why?" he winced slightly at the lack of smoothness of that question as he waited for an answer.

"I wanted to." she replied not taking her eyes off the TV and taking another bite of cereal.

Hardison was normally patient; too patient at times. When it came to Parker he was the pinnacle of patience but her answer frustrated him. Frustration oozed from his reply.

"So you came to my apartment at 3am to watch TV, eat my cereal and randomly kiss me because you felt like it?" he didn't like the way it came out but he was slowly getting tired of the rollercoaster of emotions Parker sends him through. He knew she needed time. Time to sort through her feelings and he would wait for her forever and a day if he had to but it didn't make it any easier.

Parker sensing his annoyance felt a pang in her heart. Why couldn't she just say exactly how she felt to him? She didn't understand why she couldn't convey her thoughts properly when talking to him. She knew she wasn't an expert on emotions or other social aspects of life but she wasn't stupid either. She knew that she felt feelings for Hardison that she never knew existed in her. Just his presence could break her concentration and release butterflies in her belly.

She had been in his apartment more times than she could remember without him knowing. Mostly at night. She liked to watch him sleep. She wondered how it would feel to be laying next to him, his arms around her even in his slumber. She longed for that. To feel safe with someone. To let someone take care of her for once. To allow someone to love her. She ached for security. To let her guard down. She had someone who was willing to do all of these things and more and she knew it. The only person that was holding her back was herself. She decided right then that she wouldn't do it anymore. She couldn't let fear steal her opportunity at happiness. She smiled to herself at the irony of that thought.

She sighed and placed her now empty bowl on the table in front of them and turned towards Hardison. She knew that she had to speak from her heart and with abandon. He deserved that. He had waited for her. She knew that it hadn't been easy to do but he did it anyway. She didn't want him waiting anymore.

"I haven't been sleeping. Too much on my mind and sometimes not enough..." she began telling him the real reason she was there. Hardison listened intently as she continued because he knew she didn't talk about herself that often. "...I knew that I wanted them, I've known for a while but I was afraid to reach for them. That doesn't make sense because I know you said they'd be there, but for how long? I started to be afraid of taking too long and someone getting them before me. I was afraid that maybe I'd look for them one day and they wouldn't be there. I realized that I didn't want that to happen. It was me that was in the way the whole time. I want them and I don't want to share. I want them in my life forever. I want them to make me feel comfortable and safe." Hardison was used to Parker not making perfect sense and usually let her talk until he got the jist of what she was saying but this time he had no clue what she meant.

"What are you talking about, mama?" he asked, confused.

She let out a shaky breath "Pretzels. I've been thinking about pretzels."

A wave of understanding came over him as he remembered their happenstance metaphor a few months ago in the bar when she told him she was starting to have feelings for the conveniently placed bowl of 'pretzels' that sat between them. Hardison had knew then that she really meant him and he knew that she was talking about him now. This realization sent tender warmth throughout his body and made his heart soar. He didn't want to be too hopeful just yet but he could sense she was finally ready.

"I told you they'd be there waiting. I never wanted you to feel like there was some time limit. I'll wait as long as you need. I'll always wait." He needed her to know that he would never pressure her into something she wasn't ready for but damn did he want her to be ready.

He smiled at her to reassure his sincerity.

She reached for his hand and intertwined it with hers. She looked at the stark difference of their skin tone; her extremely fair one and the deep, rich brown of his. She thought it was beautiful. She looked up at him and knew it was time. She knew it was the right thing. She had never felt so right then how she felt at that moment.

"I'm ready." she just about whispered.

Hardison didn't believe he heard her correctly. He was about to ask her to repeat herself when she leaned in and for the second time that night pressed her lips against his. The kiss was soft, tentative but full of urgency. She pulled back a few inches and looked in his eyes. He looked down at her and felt his love for her grow even stronger than he thought possible. He smiled and closed the gap between them. He kissed her with a sweet intensity that only conveyed love. She deepened the kiss to let him know she truly wanted this. This is the only place she wanted to be. She linked her arms around his neck and he placed his hands on her waist. They kissed for what seemed like ages and finally parted from the lack of oxygen. She leaned into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like this until she mumbled into his shirt.

"What was that, mama?" he didn't quite hear her. He was still a bit dazed from the sudden turn of events.

She raised her face to his, "I think I sleep now" she said with a huge yawn. He couldn't help but laugh a little. He knew that her sleepiness was due to the unburdening of her heart and the unloading of her thoughts.

He stood and scooped her up into his arms and carried her towards his bedroom. She rested her head on his shoulder and lazily looped her arm around his neck. She was asleep before they even made it to the bed.


End file.
